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What's your opinion of the Excelsior?
djf021
Member Posts: 1,382 Arc User
Hello,
I'm currently saving Zen for an Excelsior cruiser (unless I get a ton of recommendations against it). My question is, if you have this ship, what do you think of it? I've heard a lot of good things about it.
ALSO, if I buy the C-store version, (I want it to be account wide obviously) can I get the fleet version for 1 fleet module? Just asking because the fleet starbase price seems to be 5 FMs, (different from the other fleet ships) so I wanted to make sure the pricing is not different somehow for this ship. Thanks for your help!
I'm currently saving Zen for an Excelsior cruiser (unless I get a ton of recommendations against it). My question is, if you have this ship, what do you think of it? I've heard a lot of good things about it.
ALSO, if I buy the C-store version, (I want it to be account wide obviously) can I get the fleet version for 1 fleet module? Just asking because the fleet starbase price seems to be 5 FMs, (different from the other fleet ships) so I wanted to make sure the pricing is not different somehow for this ship. Thanks for your help!
Don't let them promote you. Don't let them transfer you. Don't let them do anything that takes you off the bridge of that ship, because while you're there... you can make a difference.
-Captain James T. Kirk
Post edited by djf021 on
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And it is true, if you own the VA excel, the fleet version only costs 1 FSM.
It's a great ship, it comes as top recommended along with the fleet assault cruiser and the odyssey for federation style cruisers. The bridge officer seating is a bit weird, but it's definitely workable.
Really it comes down to what you want in a cruiser, do you want more offensive capabilities, or some of the best tanking in the game?
Offensive cruisers=Excelsior and the assault cruiser fleet versions.
Tankers=Odyssey and the fleet galaxy, these are also better at healing.
Somewhere in between the two is the fleet heavy cruiser imo.
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I think cryptic made excel too good compared to other non STO era ships, especially the Galaxy. In STO the Excel is superior in almost any way, while it should be the other way round. I don't get what Cryptics devs where thinking.
Personally i never liked it's appearance, i hated it in 1984 and i still hate it today.
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It can dish out alot of damage and it tanks well . And it is quite nimble for a cruiser.
And the advanced Transwarp is so much fun even when it breaks down (does happen but its rare). Its the federation cruiser most suited to a cannon build. However i prefer beams and a mixture of offensive universal consoles and science powers to increase damage.
No matter what it is well suited for Engineering Captains and Tactical Captains.
Its a matter of taste but i like the Excelsiors look alot.
The Excelsior is also far more of a love-hate ship than the AC-Refit, as far as I've seen... if you don't like the Regent or Imperial skins on the (F)ACR, you can always switch to the Sovereign, but the Excelsior draws a lot of ire for having exactly two skins, both of which are from the late 23rd century instead of the late 24th/early 25th. That and the ship (with such an old frame) being competitive with the Sovereign and generally accepted as superior to other new Fed cruisers such as the Odyssey and Galaxy.
It's a beautiful ship, IMO. The silhouette reminds me of a heron.
Performance-wise, it's one of the best turning Federation cruisers. As somebody who plays both sides of the fence this makes me face-palm endlessly because the Negh'var, the KDF's "slow cruiser", turns even better.
Decent hull, decent shields.
The ensign engineer is a pain in the butt due to the fact that almost all ensign engineer abilities are fighting for the same cooldown and Cryptic won't listen to our ideas for fixes. I feel like I'm fighting one slot short because of this.
The LTC tactical gives you twice as many options as most cruisers (since your first slot is always always always Tactical Team). I went with attack pattern beta 2, and high yield 2 (which really packs a whallop with the romulan hyper-plasma torpedo).
The improved transwarp drive is both a blessing and a curse. It's GREAT for chasing down colonization and support doff missions! ... And it forces you to spend one of your active space slots on an astrometric scientist which has no combat relevance whatsoever or to switch constantly between fights.
The console layout is obviously all about causing damage. You've got your armor and you've got your pew pew. The ship is very light on science consoles, which is actually somewhat relevant now with the outstanding threat-scaling consoles. Dedicated tanks need not apply.
Soooo... Has some personality quirks but probably the best Federation cruiser for flying around and feeling like you're doing something. Better options available if you like being a brick or healer
It's a great fed PvE DPS cruiser, tying with the Regent in my opinion. As a fed cruiser it's a dream to fly with it's good turnrate. While the tactical Odyssey can also be made into a very good DPS cruiser with the aid of the saucer seperation console, the consoles cooldown kinda restricts it's usefulness. Also the fleet excelsior and regent get an extra tactical console.
Then there's the regents innate transwarp ability, which makes doffing faster. It's because of this innate ability that it normally costs 5 FM.
Personally I prefer the regent for the extra tactical station (I like flying with two ensign tactical teams and two offensive tactical powers), but the better turnrate of the excelsior is very helpful.
Also I personally prefer the look of the excelsior to the majority of the T5 cruisers, which look way too fancy, overdeveloped and aerodynamic. Don't get me wrong, it's not as nice looking as the Ambassador class and the Constitution class, but I really prefer it's look to the Odyssey.
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Well, there are a few ways to go and you can always buy cheaper white or green mk xi consoles/weapons on the exchange to test out folks ideas.
Personally, I think that beams are substandard enough that running a 2 torp/6 turret layout using cannon tac abilities will get you better DPS and more procs than running a 2 torp/6 beam layout. It will also mean you can pretty much just concentrate on positioning as you'll deal roughly the same DPS no matter what direction you're facing. The Excelsior's better turn rate means you'll have an easier time bringing your torpedoes to bear or rotating wounded shields out of the way.
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I love it, it's tanks well as any other and I have never felt the need to add an RCS console to it... which means you get 1 more slot for some other more useful console.
A nice plus is to be able to Transwarp to all the major systems including Tau Dawa. Unlike the T3 version, the Transwarp never fails.
Besides the looks, you'll never regret getting the ship.
The Galaxy's need another Tac console to start making sense.
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Also it's the best looking Trek ship bar none, if you're old enough to appreciate the best 70's styling has to o
And the Fleet Ambassador coming.
I'm running 3 Cannons and a Torp in the front with 3 Turrets and the Kinetic Cutting Beam on the Aft.
It runs great in PVE, mainly STFs. I am able to get a good dps out without being a sitting duck with the turn rate being a great plus factor. Also it can take a good beating.
I strongly suggest that OP buys the C-Store variant and a Fleet Module for the Fleet Excelsior. Its probably one of the best ships by far and I am pretty positive that it wont be out classed anytime soon. And if it does, it will still probably compete with it toe to toe.
Now the look is debatable. I personally like it ,but a more updated skin for the ship would be great and would fix the grief that many people have about it.
Imperial Class Fleet Assault Cruiser. Equal tank, higher damage, better looking. Only catch: Tier 5 Shipyard required.
That is all.
*Only catch: Tier 5 Shipyard required, lower turn rate.
I think turn rate is a big factor, only 1 point difference but I think that would be noticeable.
I'm struggling to figure out what ship to pickup... Excelsior looks really good on paper apart from the already discussed noob eng Boff. I like SCI ships but I'm an ENG, I really want a maneuverable ship.
Any other options other than the Excelsior? Starting to think I should just cough up and get the vesta pack....
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in addition, the regent refit has teh 180 degree torp, allowing you to 6 beam+cutting beam+torp broadside all at the same time....forever. this again puts it to the regent not just for this console, but being able to run aux2batt x2 with two tac slots so you can have two bfaw, apb and some torp love all in the same package
true , but to use the damage potential fully you basicly sacrifice science abilities wich can be very powerfull in their own right. Or things like graviton well or tractor beam wich limits your opponents mobility wich brings down their defence value.
I think the Fleet Assault cruiser will do more damage per shot , but the Excelsior will bring most enemies down faster, espicially in PvP and STFs.
And overall, counting in the built in transwarp locations its also nice for doffing, doin episodes and so on. With the transwarp computer console and a purple doff that shortens transwarp cooldown time , you can transwarp every 4 minutes.
Combines with a MACO or Borg engine this thing so beats the Vesta in that racing event.
However - mount the wideangle torp form the regent on the excelsior - its worth it.
All in all, the Excelsior is very good at doing dps but has way more allround value.
But the Fleet Assault will do a wee bit more damage.
Right but wrong.
F-excel and F-AC are exactly the same in everything except for two BOff stations, 1 degree of turn, crew (not a valid point), and power allocation.
The FAC will do more damage overall, since it has more tactical abilities (yes, 1 ensign tac can make a HUGE difference), and has 5 more power allocated to weapons (yes, that makes a difference). It is not limited in science, at least compared to the excel, they are exactly the same. They have almost identical BOff layouts except for ONE ENSIGN SLOT. That isn't enough to make the excel superior, nor is that 1 degree of base turn. At most it will translate into 3 degrees total difference TOPS. And both are gimped in science, but the Imperial simply puts that Uni Lt to sci, and all of a sudden is equal to the excel. AMAZING...
So... no, your excel will not kill things faster in PvP or in STFs or in anything.
Also you know that wide-angle from the Regent? Put it on the Imperial too, not just the excel. Equally amazing results.
Basically the only part you got right was the usefulness for DOffs, which doesn't matter since you can do all that in 15 minutes anyways (if you're patient that transwarp won't amount to TRIBBLE).
As for damage and usefulness in combat? Imperial beats out Excelsior.
But considering the worse innertia of the Fleet Assault Cruiser and the lack of an Energybonus to Engines results in a lower defence rating and its not only less maneuverable in turnrate but in getting it to move/turn. And even with beams that can be quite deciding because you neet to get the target into the overlapping arcs of your cruiser. Dont underestimate the role speed does in that game.
That 1 Tac Ensign sure is usefull, i dont deny that. but i dont see much use for it other than another tactical team 1 wich i use on the Excelsior as well. Torpedo and Beam boffs are not realy powerfull on an Ensign.But at least an additinal torpedo skill wont suck dry the Energy for your beams. But i admit that Ensign Engineer on the Excelsior is equaly uninspired.
That Ensign Engineer can provide me with EPtW wich not only boost my damage for 5 Seconds but also keep my Weapons Energy up. However hardly a decisive difference.
What i meant with the limitation in science abilities was the Universal slot. If not used for science but for tactical powers the ship limits itself in defence and indirect damage capabilities in favor of level I tac powers wich are kinda limited. But the rate of fire for Special attacks would double - im still undiceded wether it would be worth to put a Tac-Lt in. Will test it once i get my hands on the ship.
Wich brings me to Energy allocation. The lack of 5 bonus points of power to weapons is of little concern to me because i use the Borgmodule, Transwarp Computer and the Zeropoint Energy Conduit on my ships wich brings my Energy levels up across the board and with my Weapons set to attack it adds up to 125 as well so it does mean little. I do however have a tad more juice for my engines than The Assault Cruiser. Still no decisive difference.
Going beyond stats , the Excelsior s available at a Tier 3 Shipyard and it is the only Fleet ship with a special ability (wich does not use a console slot). It does provide some more noncombat fun.
Sure it depends alot on wether or not you like he look and feel of a ship. I dont think badly of the Fleet Assault cruiser, no - i will definitly buy one once my fleet reaches Tier 5. I like the Sovereign skin the most. I also have the sovereign bridge set ant the regent and the captains yacht, so it will be like completing a set. Im looking forward to it.
But i highly doubt it can give me that feeling of being "home" like the Excelsior does.
And i tried alot of ships. I had alot of fun with the Steamrunner and the Armitage and the Odyssey Ships and just about two hours ago i tried out the new Fleet Ambassador , all fun to fly and fight but it never quite felt right. You know what i mean.
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I thought the Intrepid Retrofit has the strongest hull ever built by starfleet. Ablative armor and what not.